


Cafe au Late

by Johncowdrey



Category: Endeavour (TV)
Genre: F/M, Morse finally accepts that cup of coffee in Quartet Joan is sexy, sassy and funny. Morse is a good listener. Talk, talk, talk.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:33:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24858445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Johncowdrey/pseuds/Johncowdrey
Summary: Joan's secret boyfriend of S5 comes out of the shadows. Morse has a makeover, secrets exchanged, holes filled in and questions answered.
Relationships: Endeavour Morse/Joan Thursday
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	Cafe au Late

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Linda for editing and posting. Thanks to Vision of Mangoes for suggesting I write it. Primary reason for writing, to fill in the gaps that have bugged me for years.

CAFÉ AU LATE

The Trout was a small public house tucked away off Cornmarket Street. Conveniently close to the flats of both Endeavour Morse and Joan Thursday.  
Joan had phoned Morse earlier that day to ask if they could meet and have a chat, about what she didn’t say.   
“I can’t get there until about 9 o’clock” said Morse  
“That’s ok “said Joan.  
You didn’t have to be a detective to know what that was about, thought Morse, bound to be about Claudine who had left him a couple of days before. Joan’s so nosey, she should have become a policewoman!

The pub had a roaring fire, a cheerful clientele and plush red leather chairs and, thankfully, no coppers!  
While he was waiting Morse was doing the Oxford Mail crossword, trying to make it last. He was also nursing a half pint jar of bitter shandy, to his acute embarrassment. But he did look and feel a lot better since he had cut down on the booze.  
“Oh, there you are Morse” said Joan Thursday  
“You, you look stunning Miss Thursday” he said, kissing her cheek.  
“Well, you’ve got brave, is this Claudine’s doing?”  
“I’m sorry Miss Thursday, can I get you a drink?”  
“Yes please, a gin and tonic would be lovely.”  
“and Morse, “  
“Yes, Miss Thursday?”  
“You should kiss me more often, it was nice.”  
“I’ll get the drinks, Miss Thursday”  
“Oh, and Morse, I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve called me Miss Thursday and I’ve only been here five minutes, please call me Joan.”  
“Ok” said Morse.  
Joan took off her coat and sat down. She took her compact from her bag to check her make up.  
“Here you are” he said, handing her a gin and tonic and putting his overflowing glass of shandy on a coaster.  
“What’s this Morse? signed the pledge?”  
God, thought Morse, how come she finds it so easy to embarrass me?  
“Right” said Joan  
“I suppose you’re wondering why I wanted to see you?”  
“No” he mumbled under his breath.  
“I know bloody well why you wanted to see me.”  
“How long is it since we last met Morse?”  
“About three and a half months Miss, err Joan”  
“Well, you’ve certainly changed for the better. You’ve filled out a bit, lost that paunch you were getting and your complexion has improved, not so pasty faced. And your hair is much shorter, a real College Boy style, very trendy. And your clothes! The old Burtons suit has gone, frayed nylon shirt, gone, stained tie, gone and old black scuffed shoes, GONE!”  
Joan then had a closer look at the tasselled loafers, Sta-prest Levi’s, Oxford cotton box pleated shirt and hanging over the back of the chair, a tartan lined Harrington jacket!  
“I’m impressed” she exclaimed  
“I suppose this was all Claudine’s doing, she always liked Americans”   
“That’s probably why she’s gone to Vietnam” bemoaned Morse.  
“So where did you buy all this Americana”  
“The Ivy shop in Richmond” replied Morse.  
“I’ve heard of it” Joan said.  
“Very expensive”  
“Too bloody true” exclaimed Morse.

After Joan’s comments on Morse’s sartorial changes, she decided to cut to the chase as it were and confronted him with the reason she had asked to meet him.  
“Why on earth did you split up with Claudine? She’s my best friend and I’m worried to death about her going to Vietnam!”  
Morse felt like saying he would cut to the chase and say it’s none of your bloody business, but of course he didn’t, he was far too polite for that.  
“Things changed, she started getting serious. She wanted me to go to France to meet her Mother, move in together, get engaged. The crunch came when she asked me how much I loved her. I replied that I cared for her very much. This wasn’t good enough for Claudine and she wanted to know if there was anyone else I did love.  
So, I told her there was but it was unrequited. She then burst into tears and rushed off leaving me feeling like a complete heel”  
“Well you weren’t very diplomatic were you Morse”  
Morse just shrugged.  
“By the way, how did you get to hear of this Joan”  
“Claudine phoned me yesterday and told me she was definitely going to Vietnam and I guessed you had split up.”  
“So, who is the woman that you’re madly in love with? Is it that blonde bombshell WPC who was with you at the Bingo last year?” Joan said somewhat peevishly.  
“Shirley is a great girl, but she’s a colleague and there is certainly no chemistry there”  
“You’re not going to tell me are you Morse?”  
“No, It’s too personal”  
It was getting very hot in the pub beside the roaring fire so Joan asked Morse if he would walk her home.   
“No need” says Morse, “I’ve got a new car, I’ll drive you”  
“You’ve got a new car!” exclaimed Joan. “This gets more surreal by the minute. What sort is it?”  
“A yellow MGB” Morse says, proudly.  
“An MGB! Have you had a personality transplant or something?”  
Morse just smiled.  
The car was in the car park and when they were inside Joan asked how he had been able to pay for such a beautiful car. Morse told her that his Stepmother, Gwen, had decided to downsize earlier in the year before she realised that she would have to split the money between him and his sister Joyce.  
“If you don’t mind me asking, how much did you get?”  
“After everything was paid, just over £5000.00.”  
Joan whistled, “So what are you going to do with the rest of it?”  
“Well, I promised Jim I’d stay in the flat for a year to help him save up a deposit. Then, I’m going to buy a house or decent flat. Should be able to get something nice with the money I’ve got saved. Perhaps you could help me look when the time comes?”  
“I’d love to Morse. You know I’m seriously thinking of staking a claim on you, before a younger model comes along” Joan says with wink.  
“You don’t have to stake a claim Joan”  
And with that, they drive off.  
When they arrive at Joan’s flat, she asks Morse if he could come in as she has something, she wants to talk to him about.  
“You’re not in any trouble are you Miss Thursday?” an alarmed Morse says.  
“Only heartbreak trouble Morse”  
“Well, I don’t think I’m qualified to deal with that, I’m a policeman not an agony aunt. What about your parents or flatmates or even Sam?”  
“I just can’t talk to my Dad anymore, about anything, especially this. My Mum would just see it as another chance to get me to go home.”  
“Well, what about your flatmates?”  
“You must be joking, they’re the most indiscreet people in Oxford, probably Oxfordshire! I don’t want everyone to know my business, there’s been enough gossip to last me a lifetime”  
“Can’t disagree with that” Morse says with a grin on his face.  
“Do you mind, you’re supposed to be on my side. You don’t have to agree with me.”  
“Sorry, what about Sam?”  
“Well, he’s in Germany and I have sort of spoken to him about it before. Look , are you coming in, it’s getting cold? I don’t want to catch my death standing around out here.”  
“I wouldn’t want to disturb your flatmates”  
“For heaven’s sake Endeavour, I’m going to start calling you Endeavour whenever you really get on my nerves, which, going on past experience, will be quite often- Helen’s away and Pauline sleeps and snores like a tranquilised horse!”  
“Well, in the circumstances, Joan, after you. I’ll have a tea please. I don’t care for coffee. By the way, you don’t mind me calling you Joan, do you?”  
Give me strength Joan says under her breath.  
When inside the flat Joan goes off to make tea and coffee. Morse decides to have a nose around. Pictures of Joan’s Mum and Dad, Sam, even a picture of Carol. Morse knew they were great friends. No sign of a boyfriend. Morse thinks that’s strange seeing as she’s gorgeous, outgoing and loads of fun. She never seems to be short of male admirers. Morse hopes those bastards Marlock and Morton haven’t turned her off men for life. If so, what chance for me, he thought guiltily.  
“Teas up” Joan says breezily as she comes into the room carrying a couple of bright red mugs on an enamel tray.  
“This one’s yours Morse” she says handing him a mug.  
“Thanks Joan. You know, Joan, seeing that picture of Carol, brought back to me that time in the station when you told me you had to stand her up because “something came up” I don’t think I’ve ever seen you blush like that before?”  
Joan starts to blush again at the memory.  
“Funny you should say that Morse. That was the start of everything. No, Morse, not that day at the Police station, when I stood Carol up”  
“Before I carry on, I want to clear something up that’s been the cause of speculation and gossip in the Police canteen. How can Joan Thursday manage to live her life without any sign of income? Even my Dad’s questioned me about it, almost accusing me of being a call girl! What a cheek! Luckily, I still have friends who made me aware of it and offered to help. Jim, being one of them. I don’t blame you Morse because these things go over your head and you don’t listen to gossip anyway”   
Joan then went on to tell Morse how, just before she was discharged from hospital, she had realised that she was at her lowest ebb. No clothes, no money, no friends, but she was determined to make Morton pay for what he had done and to get compensation for what had happened at the bank.  
She had remembered Sally, her best friend at school, and how they had promised to help each other. Which is exactly what Joan had done when Sally was broke. It had meant going on a date with Ronnie Gidderton so he would get Sally a larger overdraft. (Joan thought he had something on the manager) The date was pretty awful as she had to kiss him but it meant Sally got her overdraft.  
Sally now worked as a solicitor in a firm dealing with compensation claims and when she heard Joan’s problems, she was more than happy to help her.  
The first thing she did was pick Joan up from the hospital and give her somewhere to live. They then went to collect Joan’s clothes, luckily the spare key was still in the same hiding place, although Sally was prepared to call a locksmith if necessary.  
Sally then arranged for Joan to see the senior partner Mr Hughes. After telling him the whole story of her troubles, leaving nothing out, Joan was told not to worry about money as they worked on a no win, no fee basis.  
Mr Hughes and Sally saw Morton and put the fear of God into him, threatening to tell his wife and work colleagues and if he didn’t cough up the Police would be notified and he would be sued for grievous bodily harm, mental cruelty, causing loss of life and unlawful sex.   
“Yes, he raped me when I went to get my clothes after leaving you Morse”  
Morton coughed up £3000.  
Mr Hughes then approached the Head Office of the Wessex Bank. They agreed a lump sum of £2500.00 and a pension of £10 per month for life. His next stop was the ACC at Oxford’s Police Divisional HQ and Threatened sue the Police for malicious slander.   
“We shall see what happens next Morse, but you can see it doesn’t pay to mess with me”  
Too right thought Morse.  
“But at least I’m financially comfortable now, at least for the time being” said Joan.  
“As I was saying, the day I stood Carol up was the start of everything. I was with the girls from the Advice Centre, we thought we would treat ourselves with a farewell lunch and drinks at the Randolph to cheer ourselves up after those idiots firebombed the place. Not that I had that much in common with them, mainly middle-aged women with successful husbands, Church Wardens, flag day sellers, that sort of thing, but they were nice enough.”  
“It must have been about 2’oclock in the afternoon in the Randolph’s lounge bar by the time I’d said my goodbyes to my friends who had gone home to their nice homes with manicured front lawns, devoted husbands and sometimes two- and a-bit children. Yes, I was feeling jealous, yes, I was feeling sorry for myself as |I sat in my bucket seat nursing my gin and tonic. I looked up to check the time, when the door under the clock opened and this drop-dead gorgeous bloke was standing there, and I mean gorgeous with a capital G! He was about 6-foot, blond cropped hair, Elizabeth Taylor’s eyes and the build of a gymnast. Paul Newman’s better-looking younger brother. I just gawped. As you know I’m a sucker for a good-looking bloke, Morse.”  
“Like Morton and Marlock you mean” says Morse laughing his head off.  
“I’ve warned you Endeavour” Joan says, laughing herself.  
“When you’ve finished laughing, I’ll carry on. The strange thing was, he looked familiar, our eyes sort of locked and a look of recognition came over his face and he walked towards me”

Part Two  
“The next thing I knew he was holding out his hand for me to shake. (This sort of thing never happens to me my confused brain was thinking)”  
“Hello Joan”, he said,   
“I don’t suppose you remember me? We were introduced at your parents 25th wedding anniversary”  
Joan looks at him and wonders how the hell is it she doesn’t remember him. And what’s more to the point, why the hell did I let him get away when it’s bloody obvious he fancied me then and still does.  
Then it dawned on her that she was at the time hopelessly infatuated with a certain DC who played Igor to her Father’s Frankenstein monster. She was even playing Billy no mates by sitting at a table on her own waiting patiently for him to arrive, what an idiot! Sadly, nothing if not loyal.  
While these thoughts were flashing through her racing brain, he went on to say that his parents were great friends of hers as they were members of the same ballroom dancing school. Sadly, his Father had died some months previously. The reason he didn’t stay was that he felt Joan was waiting for someone and he didn’t want to intrude. As Joan was relating this to Morse, he realised what a great opportunity he had wasted 2 years ago.  
While Morse was thinking this about Joan, she was also thinking the same about Jonathan. Jonathan Keyes to be exact, her wasted chance in 1966.  
Meanwhile, back in the Randolph, Joan had been frantically trying to think of something clever to say.  
“I told him that I wasn’t waiting for anyone now and asked him if he was still a doctor in Cowley General? He told me that things had moved on and that he was a Registrar now at Guy’s in London studying to be a Cardiologist Consultant he hoped in a few years’ time. Well, Morse, the conversation went on, along these lines for a good half an hour. I knew that he may well make his excuses and leave or ask me out. I wasn’t prepared to leave it to chance again, in case it would be the former!”  
Joan had asked Jonathan if he was waiting for someone.  
Jonathan explained that he was staying at the Randolph while his flat in Oxford was being redecorated. The main reason he was in Oxford at the moment was to visit his Mother, who lived in sheltered accommodation and was unwell.  
“Please don’t think too badly of me Morse, for what I’m going to tell you next. The truth is I was falling head over heels for this guy, and to be honest I really wanted him. Anyway, here goes!”  
Morse was, by this time, very intrigued and a little concerned too.   
“I told him that I had been to the Randolph many times but had never stayed there and that the rooms were lovely. He offered to show me his room as the maid had been and it was all nice and tidy. Do you know Morse, I’d stake my life he didn’t have a clue what I was getting at, more naïve than you if that’s possible”?  
“That’s not fair Joan, I’m not naïve, well not after Claudine anyway”  
“Ok, ok, Morse, it was just a joke”  
“So, we trudged our way up the stairs to the top floor as the lift wasn’t working, every step of the way I was wondering what the hell I was doing. I hardly know this guy, what if someone recognised me and Dad gets to hear. My life wouldn’t be worth living. Then, another side of me said you’re a woman of 26, you’ve only ever been with that disgusting Morton, give yourself a break. Nobody could be as bad as him.  
“We finally reached his room, number 666 would you believe, the number of the beast in the bible. Dear God, please don’t let this be a judgment”  
Meanwhile, Morse sat enthralled through this tale.  
“Fancy another cup of tea Morse”  
“Great, thanks my mouth is a bit dry”  
Chapter Three

Joan was getting rather concerned about the time and asked Morse, if it was alright to carry on.  
“Of course,” said Morse “A promise, is a promise”  
While he was really hanging on every word she said.  
Joan carried on.  
“It was a very nice room with a balcony, but I wasn’t very interested in the soft furnishings. What I wanted to happen, happened very quickly and Jonathan became my No.2. I would have given everything for him to have been my No.1. It was better, a million times better than with that beast Morton. I’d fallen very hard for Jonathan and I hated Morton. We surfaced about 6 o’clock and decided we’d better get something to eat soon. As you can imagine I had forgotten all about Carol! Luckily, it didn’t matter in the long run because she had hooked up with some sort of Civil servant, got drunk and spent the night at his place. Quite a coincidence eh? But don’t you dare breath a word of this Morse”  
Morse just sat and squirmed.  
“Jonathan and I were completely loved up and decided to spend the night together. We showered and he then drove me over to my flat where I picked up some toiletries and a change of clothes. I also told Pauline and Helen that I’d see them tomorrow to which they both smirked and nudged each other saying they hoped he was worth it. I went bright red for the second time that day.”  
“Do you like Italian food” Jonathan asked when I got back into the car, a Lotus Elan would you believe?  
“Lying through my teeth I said “love it” when my only experience of Italian food was my Mum’s spaghetti bolognaise, which is very nice as you know Morse.”  
“The restaurant was lovely and the staff greeted Jonathan like a long-lost son. Soon they were nattering away in Italian. We got the best table in the house; I was so impressed. I knew I was getting in far too deep, emotionally, with Jonathan, a man I hardly knew. I think what attracted me so much was his total lack of self-awareness. He just didn’t see how mind blowingly fanciable he was. A bit like you Morse.”  
“Ha ha”, replied Morse “Very funny”  
Joan carried on.  
” So where did you learn to speak Italian Jonathan?”  
“My Dad can speak good Italian too.” Says Joan  
Jonathon explained that His Mother was Italian, she came over before the war with her husband who was in the Diplomatic Service and she taught him.”  
“Anyway, Morse, to cut a long story short. We had a lovely meal. I can’t say what it was but it was lovely, particularly the pudding, Tiramisu, I think it was called. After that we danced for a couple of hours to a Drifters tribute group. Which was great, all my old favourites were sung. On the way home I asked Jonathan if the hotel minded me staying?”  
“No”, he said “They know me”  
“So, I asked him, playfully, if he made a habit of taking girls to his room, but half seriously too”  
“Jonathan explained that his Father used to put a lot of business The Randolph’s way, in fact him and his Mother still own a lot of shares in the hotel. And, no, he wasn’t a philanderer, if that was what I had been thinking!”  
“Well, when we finally got back to 666, I thought we would resume our lovemaking, but we quickly fell asleep in each other’s arms, which was in some ways even better.”  
“The next morning, we had room service and after breakfast Jonathan dropped his bombshell.”  
Chapter 4  
Joan then told Morse how Jonathan had told her that he had to go away soon.   
“I asked him what do you mean soon? Today, tomorrow, next week, next year? I was shocked. I thought after Marlock and Morton I would have been more streetwise. Instead I let myself be taken in by a player, brilliant at it though he certainly was!”  
“So, there was me, thinking this was where he was going to tell me he was married. But no, it was nothing like that. He was going on secondment for a year. So, then I thought, well even if it’s as far as Edinburgh we could still talk on the phone, still write, still have the occasional weekend together. Then, the real bombshell, he wasn’t going to Edinburgh, instead he was going to Biafra in Eastern Nigeria.”  
“As you can imagine, Morse, I was astounded, seeing the news every day about the starving kids and Civil war, rampant disease, why on earth would he want to go there instead of stay with me?”  
Morse sat there very quietly during Joan’s tirade, seeing parallels with his own situation with Claudine.  
“It seems he had signed up with The Red Cross months ago as they were just so short of doctors out there, especially ones like him.”  
“Ok, I told Jonathan, I believed him about not being married and I didn’t think he wanted to dump me just yet but I wanted to understand what this war in Biafra was all about so I could understand?”   
Joan went on to tell Morse the explanation Jonathan had given her.  
In one word, oil. Nigeria was a member state of the British Empire until 1960. It then became a member of the Commonwealth and great friends of the United Kingdom. Their oil was exchanged for tanks, aircraft, military hardware plus “Military advisors”, in other words, the S.A.S. This was good for the UK until in 1966 the Liberal President was overthrown and replaced by hard-line Major General Gowon. He was a member of the Hausa tribe, the biggest in Nigeria. They were deadly rivals of the Igbo tribe, the smallest tribe. The Igbos lived in the oil rich eastern part of Nigeria-Biafra. Of course, Gowon wasn’t to happy about the Igbos wealth and power so he decided to make their lives very difficult. So enters General Ojukwu, who promptly declares The Republic of Independent Biafra in July 1967. The problem for Ojukwu was that he had very little foreign support, only a handful of West African countries including The Ivory Coast, Gabon and Dahomey and the most important friend was Israel, although they had their hands full with the Arabs at the time. France and Spain were sitting on the fence, probably to annoy the UK.   
One of the reasons Jonathan had decided to get involved was that the UK had thrown its weight behind Gowon and Israel had starting sending arms to Ojukwu which had escalated the war. The Red Cross expected the war to peak in the next year.  
Joan had then asked Jonathan where he was going to sent in Biafra. He didn’t know exactly but expected it would be the capital, Enugu, to begin with.  
“I had always thought Lagos was the capital” Joan says to Morse.  
“But that’s the capital of Nigeria at the moment” Joan says.  
Morse asks Joan if Jonathan had any idea how long the war was likely to last. Apparently, he had thought a year or two at most before Ojukwu had to go into exile. However long it was going to last, he expected it to be a bloody awful war with the civilians bearing the brunt of it.  
“That’s enough of talk of war on such a lovely day” Joan said to Jonathan and asked him to tell her more about himself.  
Jonathan was happy to oblige: -  
Jonathan Francis Keyes, couldn’t stand the name Francis so never used it.  
Joan thought to herself “Where have I heard that before”  
When Jonathan saw Joan smirking, he asked if there was anything funny?  
“Oh no, she said, trying to keep a straight face”  
“My friends and colleagues call me JFK”  
Joan told him she hoped he wouldn’t get shot and burst into laughter before she realised that could actually happen, and felt the need to apologise.  
Jonathan took it well and said that he thought it was quite funny actually.  
Jonathan went on to tell Joan that his Father was Sir James Keyes, which wasn’t a hereditary title. His Mother was Gina Petrucci often described as a rare beauty and told Joan she was just like her. They had met while his Father was in the Diplomatic Service in Bologna, Italy. Jonathan had been conceived in March 1939 in Italy and born in Oxford on 1st January 1940.They had got married shortly after finding out Jonathan was on the way.  
Jonathan went on to tell Joan that his Mother was a close relative of Carla who was Mussolini ‘s mistress and this had done his father’s career no harm at all. However, all good things come to an end when they had to return to England when the war started. Sir James was quite a star in the Diplomatic Service and rose to be the Ambassador in Paris and retired with a knighthood and a fat pension in 1960.  
As previously mentioned, his father had died recently of a coronary thrombosis, a quick, clean death.  
Like most middle-class boys Jonathan went to a very good prep school where he excelled at rugby and science.  
At this point in Jonathan’s story Joan had interrupted with: -  
“Big head” whilst sticking her tongue out at him.  
“That’s not likely with you around is it Joan?”  
“Perhaps that’s another reason why I should stick around Jonathan”  
“True” he said.  
Jonathan had passed his common entrance exam with flying colours and could have gone to more or less any public school but really didn’t fancy mixing with what he called “snobs”.  
So, he applied for and was accepted by the Manchester Grammar school, which specialised in science subjects. It was really high pressured, no sporting activities, just work. There he passed 4 “A” levels at A grade, Physics, Chemistry, Maths and Biology. He went up to Lonsdale College at age 16, 2 years early.  
“You must know Morse then, he studied Greats” Joan said.  
“It was a very big college Joan, the science labs and research centres had just been installed and we had a lot of state-of-the-art equipment, that’s why I went there.”  
“Besides, the Science and Arts facilities didn’t have a lot of time for each other but yes, he’s name does ring a bell. Good looking bloke, red hair, always mooning after Susan Bryce, something or other”  
“Well, it’s good someone remembers me, even for that” Morse said to Joan.  
“I studied medicine and after I got my degree, I worked at Cowley General for 2 years as a junior doctor. It was bloody hard work, Joan, us junior doctors were worked to death with little pay. Certainly not like Dr. Kildare or Carry on Doctor. No sign of Sid James there either. In 1963 I was promoted to houseman and things got a lot better. I was able to start studying again and chose Cardiology”  
“When I met you in November 1966, I had applied for a Registrars job in Casualty at Guys. The rest you know about. But I want you to know I’m going to miss you dreadfully.  
Joan put the red loose-leaf folder she had been reading from down on the coffee table. She had tears streaming down her face.  
“Why did you write all that down Joan?”  
“It was verbatim, just like he was talking to me not you” Morse said amazed.  
“I’ve got an extremely good memory Morse and I wanted to write it down as if he was talking. You see, those two months or so we were together, things were how shall I say, very intense and while we usually took precautions, sometimes we didn’t. I know in my heart Jonathan would have loved for us to have a child together but would have hated the idea of me bringing it up alone. But if it did happen, I wanted our child to know where it’s Father came from and where and how he died”  
“That’s very touching Joan”  
“And now I’ll let you know what I told Jonathan about myself, seeing as I’d heard his life story, it seemed only fair.”  
Joan Winifred Thursday was born on the 21st April 1942 at Bethnal Green general. Her Dad is Frederick or Fred and her Mother Winifred or Win. They all lived on the outskirts of Oxford. She also has a brother, one year younger, called Sam. Sam is a Lance Corporal in the North Oxfordshire Light Infantry, although it is to be disbanded shortly. He is currently serving in Germany. Joan also has an Aunt Pauline, who is married to Charlie, who Joan thinks is a bit dodgy. Aunt Pauline is a fair bit younger than Charlie. They drive a flashy American car.   
“Actually, Jonathan, I was supposed to be going out with their daughter, my cousin Carol, yesterday but I forgot, I wonder why? All three of them are at my Mum and Dad’s now if you want to meet them?”  
Jonathan pointedly ignored this.  
After infants and junior schools, she went to All Saints Secondary Modern, where she passed a few “O” levels. She always liked Maths which is why she got a job at the Wessex bank after leaving school.  
“I had a few boyfriends, but Dad was always so rude to them and they were so polite to him. My Mum was fine.”  
“At the bank I worked with Gillian as cashiers together and we got on really well. I was thinking of going to Israel to work on a Kibbutz about a year ago and then the Arab/Israeli war happened.”  
“And then everything changed. This man Paul Marlock started to make a play for me. Phoning me up at home, chatting me up at work, buying me drinks at the Bingo club. He was a caller there. He was always trying to find things out and one night in June last year he joined us at our table at the Bingo club. I think he put something in my drink because I couldn’t stop talking and told him things about the bank which I shouldn’t, important things like security. A couple of days later there was a raid, it was so frightening, I was terrified. Luckily my friend Morse was there. He was a Detective Constable then, but is now a Sergeant. Two people were murdered, a policeman and the Assistant Manager. Morse and I were almost shot. I suffered a complete nervous breakdown because of this but I’ll never forget Morse for getting me through it. I ran away to Leamington where something even worse, in its way, happened. I’m sorry Jonathan but I don’t really feel ready to talk about it with you, perhaps when you come back from Biafra.  
At the time, Jonathan, there was a lot of talk about me and Marlock, but I swear to you, nothing, absolutely nothing happened between us. I was saving myself for my future husband. I didn’t even fancy him, he was horrible!”  
“That’s the absolute truth Morse, about Marlock. I was a virgin before I went to Leamington.”  
What Joan didn’t say to Morse was that she had been saving herself for him.  
Chapter 5  
“Jonathan got his dreaded letter from the Red Cross a couple of weeks before my flat warming. He was due to fly out to the Ivory Coast on 15th June from Heathrow at 12.15 with Air France. Do you know, Morse, I can still hear him reading this out, I don’t think I will ever forget those flight details to my dying day. This, as you may recall, Morse, was the day of my flat warming. We agreed the only sensible thing to do was to carry on as usual. I suggested we might get engaged, but he said he didn’t want me to feel tied to a potential dead man, of course, I burst into tears and he apologised profusely. I forgave him of course. As a result, he bought me a beautiful single stone diamond ring in 18ct white gold. He said we would get engaged on the day he got back or it would be something to remember him by. This set me off crying again and I hit him hard on the arm. What do you think Morse” Joan says holding out her left hand?  
“As far as I’m concerned, we’re engaged”  
“It’s very beautiful, he loves you very much”  
“This sounds so shallow and stupid, Morse, but my first thought was he’ll miss my flat warming. Here I was worrying about that when the bloke I had hopes of marrying could be lying dead in a ditch in some foreign hell hole. I, the began to feel very ashamed, putting my own feelings before the hundreds of lives he might be ale to save, many of them children. I’ve fallen in love with a wonderful brave idiot, well it’s happened before Morse, hasn’t it?”  
This of course went completely over Morse’s head.  
Joan goes on to tell Morse about the lovely time they had in May when she went to London for the weekend He met me at Paddington and we headed off to have a full English breakfast at the Lyon’s Corner House. We discussed what to do and I asked Jonathan if he had anything arranged. “  
“Well” he said “We’re staying at the Savoy tonight and this evening is a surprise but the rest is up to you”  
“I told him that I would really love to go to Biba’s in Knightsbridge so we got on a Piccadilly Line train on the underground and we were there in no time, coming out opposite Harrods. I was very tempted to change destination but decided against it. I loved Biba’s, it had everything, dresses, coats, shoes, make up, everything. Jonathan told me to choose something and look on it as a late birthday present. I gave him a big hug and a kiss on the lips while I shrieked with delight. He did look little embarrassed!”  
“Only a little?” Morse said sarcastically.  
“I finally chose a sapphire blue mini dress, that was respectable, even dad would have approved.”  
Really! if you believe that thought Morse.  
“I know, let’s go to Chelsea, I said to Jonathan, so off we trooped. To tell the truth, I was a bit disappointed in it. We found a pub called The Chelsea Potter which was supposed to be the haunt of pop stars. Jonathan went off to get our drinks, a coke and an orange juice plus a couple of bags of crisps. When he came back, I told him to look over to the corner where I was sure Mick Jagger was sitting. He wasn’t convinced and when I said I was going over to ask for his autograph, he said “No, you’re bloody well not!”  
“So, I said to him that he was jealous and he should admit it. Anyway, I told him he was much better looking than Mick Jagger”  
“Richard Nixon’s better looking than Mick Jagger” he said.  
“Well, I collapsed with laughter at that” said Joan.  
“We made do with a sandwich for lunch as we were having an early dinner at the Savoy Grill. Jonathan said he preferred the Grill to the restaurant as he thought it was less pretentious”  
“I know” Jonathan said as we left the pub, “Let’s go back to the hotel for a nap”  
Must have read my mind, thought Joan, apart from the nap part!  
“I think it’s about time you told me where we’re going tonight”  
“Well, I pulled a few strings and got tickets for a show” he said.  
Which really meant he’d paid a fortune buying them from a ticket tout.  
“Well, which show, don’t keep me in suspense”  
“Would you believe, West Side Story”  
“West Side Story! it’s my all time favourite musical and I love musicals” Joan said, jumping up and down.  
“I absolutely love Russ Tamblyn, George Chakiris and Natalie Wood”  
“Well, don’t get your hopes up, they’re not in it”  
“But still” Joan said.  
“I love you Jonathan”  
“I love you Joan”  
“We got back to the hotel just before 3pm and as you can guess, the nap never happened”  
“I had Dover Sole with Duchess potatoes and asparagus on the side and a glass of Prosecco. It was delicious. The apple pie and clotted cream was out of this world, even better than Mum makes, between you and me Morse.”  
Morse nods  
“Well, I got to wear my Biba blue dress for the first and last time and if I say so myself, I looked stunning and Jonathan’s eyes were popping out of his head.  
We got a taxi to Sadler’s Wells Theatre and settled into our seats. Luckily, we had a good view from the stalls.  
The show was fantastic, the dancing was unbelievable, the singing was tremendous and the costumes were out of this world. I was glad we had booked our drinks for the intermission as the foyer was really crowded. I was looking forward to my G&T. Jonathan kept looking around so I asked him if he’d lost something”  
“Yes, my friend Chris, he had tickets as well and was bringing his girlfriend.”  
“Is he going to Biafra as well?”  
“No, he thinks I’,am stark staring mad.”  
“I’d like to meet Chris; I think we might have a lot”in common”  
“I must have seen the film at least 3 times and listened to the L.P. countless times but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment because I could just concentrate on the music and dancing. Forgot about the plot which I knew by heart anyway. I thought the clapping would never end as the cast took curtain call after curtain call, but it was so well deserved.”  
“I said to Jonathan, we should forget about a taxi and walk back to the hotel, as I felt like I was walking on air and it was a lovely night.”  
“So, we walked back to the hotel singing Maria, Tonight and America and snapping our fingers to the Jets song. We got told to keep it down by a passing squad car but they were laughing too. We were still singing when we got back.”  
“Do you fancy a nightcap Joan”  
“Yes, please, I’ll have a large Irish coffee”  
“Well, that’s going to keep you awake Joan,“That’s what I’m hoping for”   
“You saucy…” Jonathan never finished the sentence.  
The concierge came hurrying towards us calling, “Dr. Keyes, Dr. Keyes, you need to ring the hospital urgently, they’ve been ringing all evening. They didn’t know where you were and neither did we.”  
The smile immediately left Jonathan’s face; he rang the hospital straight away.  
“What’s the matter” I asked worriedly after a while.  
“A new building has collapsed in Canning Town, it’s Called Ronan Point. There are many casualties, look, love, I have to go” he said kissing my cheek.  
With that he was climbing into a taxi and was gone.  
“I slept very little that night, worrying about Jonathan, about the poor people who were homeless and the people who were grieving. I hoped it wasn’t that bad, but, of course, it was. I hoped Jonathan would be back, but, he didn’t show. No wonder Chris wasn’t at the show, hope Jonathan doesn’t get into trouble because he was trying to please me. I felt truly awful that night, what an end to a magical day.”  
“I Couldn’t wait until 9 o’clock to speak to him, I got up at 6 o’clock, had a shower, got dressed and went down to breakfast. For a Sunday there were a surprising amount of people there. Mainly, American tourists wanting an early start for a day’s sightseeing.”  
Morse asked why she thought they were American.  
“Simple, Morse, their accents and they were wearing similar clothes to you”  
“As I was saying, the waiters brought me coffee and toast and I helped myself from the buffet. After breakfast I went to reception. The Sunday papers were in. No way was Jonathan going to be able to come back from what I read this was a full-blown disaster. The reception was very helpful when I explained why we were checking out a day early.”  
“Don’t worry Miss, we will credit Dr. Keyes account for the extra day”  
Ah, thought Joan, so, Jonathan makes a habit of staying here my suspicious mind was telling me. But I fought back. I couldn’t be doing with these thoughts. He’s had no sleep and he’s trying to deal with a nightmare plus the fact he’s going to be off to a Biafran hell hole in a few short weeks and he won’t be back for a year, if he’s lucky.  
The reception said normal check out time was 12 noon but they would stretch a point in my case.  
“They called me a taxi and I was soon at the hospital, an ugly Victorian edifice with equally ugly post war additions.”  
“Jesus” I thought, “Biafra’s not going to seem so bad after working here. The place was swarming with members of the press and ambulances trying to find a way through them. I walked up to the main entrance looking for casualty, when a short, tubby one-armed man wearing a sort of commissionaire uniform, came bustling up to me.”  
“Look, you can buzz off, I’m sick and tired of telling you press people to clear off.”  
“Sergeant Gordon, (that was the name on his name tag) I am not a member of the press. I am Dr. Keyes’ fiancée, showing him my impressive engagement ring. He works in casualty, Sergeant Gordon.”  
“Yes, I know Miss, I’ll take you to him.”  
“Jonathan was standing in the corridor scratching his head while holding a sheaf of papers while talking to another doctor who would prove to be the missing Chris.  
Jonathan spotted me, “Joan”, he said “What a lovely surprise” kissing me on the cheek. “Chris, this is Joan”  
“Well, I’m not surprised, I’ll leave you two love birds alone.”  
“I told Jonathan he looked ever so tired and asked him when he was going to be off duty”  
“When I can find someone to cover for me. Listen, Joan, I hope this doesn’t put you off marrying a doctor?”  
“It could be worse; you could be a copper!”  
“Look, Joan, I’m off next week, why don’t we just loaf around my flat, maybe go out for a drink, have a pub lunch on Sunday?”  
“Sounds ideal, I think I’d better go now, I feel in the way.”  
“Ok, Joan, see you next Friday”  
“We managed to have a full weekend together and it was wonderful, Morse.”  
“On our last night together, we had booked up to go back to the Italian restaurant and booked a room at The Randolph in memory of our scandalous first meeting. Although he had a lovely flat, I think he wanted to say goodbye to the staff at these places. I had realised, quite quickly in our time together, that Jonathan was a real leg man, one of his few weaknesses. So, to give him a treat I bought the shortest dress I could find and it really looked great on me, if I say so myself. You must remember, Morse, you were in the car and I reminded you about the party and I saw you watch me walk up the road in your rear-view mirror!”  
Morse blushed furiously.  
“Well, the money I spent on that dress was certainly well worth it. He couldn’t keep his eyes off me. I suppose the same could be said for the rest of the men in the restaurant too.”  
“I can well believe that Joan.”  
“It was by far the most passionate night I’ve ever had and despite the alarm clock we almost overslept. We skipped breakfast and got a taxi to the station. We said our tearful goodbyes and promised ourselves to each other. Jonathan said he couldn’t wait to get engaged next year, as far as I was concerned, we already were as I told you earlier.”  
Chapter 6  
“As you can imagine, I really did not fancy that party. I was glad it was during the week and wouldn’t be going on too long. Didn’t want to upset the neighbours did we?”  
“Can I ask you a question Joan?”  
“Sure, fire away Morse”  
“Why did you try and set me up with Claudine?”  
“I suppose it was more for her benefit than yours. Claudine was my best friend and I told her about Jonathan going to Biafra and she got it into her stupid head about going to Vietnam. I knew she fancied you, because she told me. I hoped meeting you would change her mind. The idea of my fiancé and my best friend both being in harms way was very difficult to take.”  
“I see, so what have you been doing since he left?”  
“I’ve been asked out a couple of times, but I just waggled my ring finger and they backed off. What I’m about to tell you, you must keep to yourself, especially from Dad.”  
“Like, I haven’t kept your secrets before, but I promise, Joan.”  
“Alright, I’ll tell you then. I got involved in demonstrations, equal rights usually. We were protesting outside a hair salon and a WPC got hurt. I got arrested and would have been charged but for Jim Strange. I have enough problems without that.”  
“Please, please Joan, don’t get involved with these people. We’ve been investigating them and there are some very dodgy people running that group.”  
“Have you heard anything about Jonathan or from him since he left?”  
“Sadly yes, Morse, from The Red Cross, a letter. He must have given my name as next of kin. A couple of weeks after arriving at the hospital, it was attacked by either the Nigerian Army or the Militia, they’re not sure which according to Sam. If it’s the army Jonathan may be alright but the Militia are shooting all white men out of hand as mercenaries.”  
“So what are you going to do now Joan?”  
“What I do best, Morse, smile and put on a brave face. I think I may look for a job.”  
“What do you fancy doing Joan?”  
“I’ve always fancied Social work, what do you think?”  
“I think you would be great at it Joan.”  
“I think you’re only saying that Morse.”  
“I don’t “just say” anything Joan!”  
“Well, I suppose that’s true.”  
“Look, Joan, you’ve just spent the last couple of hours telling me your secrets, some of which were pretty painful.”  
Joan looked at Morse intently, she was about to draw the evening to a close but this sounded interesting she thought.  
“But I want to tell you something I should have told you a long time ago. I’m not really certain when I fell in love with you, could have been when we first met, but it was definitely on your date with Jakes. I was there on police business, but when I saw the way he was treating you I wanted to hit him in the face, That’s not me Joan. Then your dad came and it almost all kicked off. Jakes was nowhere to be seen of course, scared of your Dad, not the gangsters I’d say. Well, I looked at you and I thought you must be the loveliest girl I’d ever seen. I had a long-time crush on Audrey Hepburn from, you remember “Breakfast at Tiffany’s and you looked just like her. I never wanted that walk to end. Well, things came and went, Monica, our double date, when I couldn’t for the life of me believe I was trying to convince you that it was Monica I loved not you.”  
“Why did you look horror struck when Monica came in” Joan said.  
“Because I had been completely caught out and felt like a naughty schoolboy” Morse continued.  
“We flirted and I became determined to do something about my feelings at your parent’s party but I kept getting called away and, of course, you met Jonathan. As for Marlock, I never really believed a girl like you would be interested in someone like him. Truelove thought he was eminently resistible and I didn’t think your taste worse than hers. To be honest, I don’t even want to think about the bank robbery.”  
“Why not?” said Joan.  
“Why not? because apart from the robbery I lost you for months on end and I almost got the sack.”  
“How did you almost get the sack?”  
“For letting you go Joan. Your dad went ballistic about losing an important witness, regardless of you being his daughter. He thought I should have brought you back in handcuffs if necessary.”  
“So what happened next Morse?”  
“ I had to see Mr Bright, he said if I had any stripes he would personally rip them off. Because of what I had been through the day before they both cooled down and no further action was taken. Because of train times I narrowed down your destination to Leamington or Rugby. Why didn’t you go to London? Why Leamington Joan? One of the most boring places on earth” Morse says.  
“Well, you’re right about that, Leamington being boring. Thought you and my Dad might come after me so I got the first train.”  
“I see” said Morse.  
“When I found you, I knew you were unhappy, certainly no sign of a loving relationship. I saw him you know, didn’t strike me as being your sort at all. There’s one thing I really want to ask your forgiveness about”  
“What’s that” says Joan.  
“Letting you go back to Leamington on your own. I never should have let you go. I should have somehow made you stay until the morning. I am so sorry” Morse has tears in his eyes.  
“It was my stupid decision to go Morse.”  
“Yes, but you ended up in hospital and…”  
“Go on Morse, say it”  
“You lost your baby”  
It’s Joan’s turn to have tears in her eyes.  
“I had already guessed about the baby before I asked you to marry me.”  
“So, you really did mean it?  
“Yes!”  
Joan looks dumbfounded.  
“Why did you change the subject when I said I didn’t want you to pity me?”  
Realised you could do a lot better than me. A penniless PC with no chance of promotion because I’ve upset everybody who matters, my drinking problems and I lived in a tip at the time.”

“Why are you telling me all this now?  
“I can’t keep it to myself anymore and I feel I can offer you a lot more now.”  
“If you had said these things to me back in April before I met Jonathan things could have been different. But I feel tied to him now, at least until next June. After that I don’t know. Look, Morse, I think we both need a friend because I’ve really missed you too. Why don’t we keep things platonic and meet for coffee, go to the pictures together, visit each other’s flats, that sort of thing. I’m sure Jonathan would not want me to mope all the time, see how things go?”  
“Well, how about my flat next Friday at about seven and we’ll see how things go?”  
“Great” says Joan closing the door after kissing Morse on the cheek.

**Author's Note:**

> My first try at creative writing, please let me know what you think.


End file.
